Halifax considers extending vote to permanent residents

Three months ago, Nahed Mutlaq packed her bags and moved more than 10,000 kilometres from Yemen to Nova Scotia. Along with her husband and four children, Mutlaq settled in Halifax’s Cowie Hill neighbourhood.

The family is eager to make Halifax home — and the move by regional council to look at letting permanent residents vote in municipal elections has made them feel more welcome.

“It would definitely make you feel like you count,” Mutlaq said in an interview Wednesday. “It’s a way of feeling important and having your opinion heard.”

Mayor Mike Savage requested a staff report Tuesday on extending the right to vote in municipal elections to non-citizens.

He said newcomers should be recognized as valuable, contributing members of society and allowed take part in local elections.

It’s not a new idea.

In Canada, Calgary, Saint John, N.B., and North Bay, Ont., are considering the idea, while more than 40 countries around the world, including Denmark, Ireland and New Zealand, already let permanent residents vote.

In the United States, Chicago allows green-card holders to vote while New York City is considering the same plan.

Claudette Legault with Halifax’s Immigrant Settlement and Integration Services said the municipality would put itself on the map if it became the first place in the country to give non-citizens the vote.